1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sheet-like optical component which integrates an image sensor chip such as a CCD and CMOS and/or cover glass placed on the chip with a glass optical element in multiple numbers, and to the manufacturing method of the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional optical components, such as one called a xe2x80x9cmicrolensxe2x80x9d, are manufactured one by one by melting and thereby softening a spherical glass material (a glass preform) and pressing it with molding dies having a shaping surface which forms the optical surface of the lens to be produced.
To convert thus manufactured lens 100 into an optical component in which the lens is combined with an image sensor chip 101 and cover glass 103, it has been necessary to incorporate the lens 100 and cover glass 103 into a lens barrel 102 in correspondence with the image sensor chip 101 as shown in FIG. 1.
As described above, in manufacturing a conventional optical component, each of lens, cover glass, image sensor chip must be manufactured separately in respective processes and then incorporated into a lens barrel, and this has caused a low productivity and also a problem in quality stability of, for example, positioning accuracy in the incorporation of the parts into the lens barrel.
Accordingly, it is the object of the present invention to provide an optical component having a plurality of glass optical elements, in which the plurality of glass optical elements are formed into one piece thus improving the productivity and providing consistent quality, and a manufacturing method thereof.
To achieve the above described object, the present invention comprises: a plurality of lens parts which are formed from glass material by press molding; a tubular leg part which is formed during the press molding, and which bends at and extends downward from the periphery of the lens part; a planer part which bends outwardly and extends horizontally from the tubular leg part providing connection to other lens parts; and the cover glass of the image sensor chip, which is fixed onto the lower surface of the planar part, and/or image sensor chip which is disposed below the lens part. According to the invention, a plurality of glass optical elements can be manufactured at the same time thus improving the productivity. Further, since the image sensor chip and the glass optical element, or the cover glass of the image sensor chip and the glass optical element are integrated, it is possible to obtain optical components of consistent quality by cutting each of them separately.
Further, the manufacturing method according to the present invention comprises the steps of: forming an integral glass sheet of multiple optical elements consisting of: a plurality of lens parts, a tubular leg part which bends at and extends downwardly from the periphery of said lens part, and a planer part which bends outwardly and extends horizontally from said tubular leg part providing connection to other lens parts; fabricating an integral sheet of multiple optical components by fixing cover glass and/or image sensor chips in a registered state onto the lower surface of the planar part of said integral glass sheet of multiple optical elements, and cutting said integral sheet of optical components to cut away plurality of optical components. According to the method of the present invention, it is possible to significantly improve the productivity and to cut costs.